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Old 04-24-2018, 05:36 PM
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Default Big bore pocket pistols

I like to pocket carry my J-frame model 649 .357 magnum.

However there are times when I prefer 1) larger bore 2) greater capacity than 5

Here are my two current options that fit the above conditions and that fit inside a jeans pocket with a pocket holster just fine.

Colt Defender .45 and Beretta px4 storm subcompact. The Colt offers 8 rounds of .45, and the Beretta offers 10 rounds of .40 S&W.

Both pistols are ~24 ounces unloaded. They are both roughly the same weight when loaded as the J-frame 649 loaded with 5 158 gr. Magnums.

I still like my full size pistols, but these little pistols are very handy and convenient, while giving up nothing in terms of capacity and cartridge.

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Old 04-24-2018, 05:41 PM
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For those who really like the simplicity of the DA revolver CA has offerings in .40 S&W and .44 Spl that are harldy bigger than a J frame as well as a .45 acp that's just a smidge bigger than those.

Hint, hint S&W decision makers.
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Old 04-24-2018, 05:45 PM
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Good choices but also consider a CS-45!
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Old 04-24-2018, 06:48 PM
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"Big bore pocket pistols" is a very attention grabbing thread title for me.
I lull myself to sleep late night searching the internet for "Micro Forty" and "Tiny Ten" and "Officers .460 Rowland".
What I am looking for is very simple: The smallest auto pistol platform per given big bore caliber.
I am not interested in a self defense sidearm that will endure many years of heavy use at the range. I am looking for the opposite: Something that will fire just enough Underwood rounds per self defense incident without worrying too much about it shattering to pieces.
I have not found what I am looking for, so my current carry rotation includes the stainless Underwood .45+P Defender, Underwood .40 Shield & G27 and Underwood 10mm G29.

I currently prefer capacity a little bit more than 6, along with a little bit more reload speed, so for now, revolvers are out for me, but I am open to preference adjustment, because stainless S&W J and K frame .357s and L frame .44 mags with traditional wood grips are candy to my eyes.

My thinking is that cartridges that offer eh oomph were not designed with stopping power foremost in mind. Statistics show that my first shot will probably not land in a tiny critical zone of the threat. Therefore, I want a cartridge that offers plenty of power, in a platform that offers reasonable capacity and that is designed for concealability.

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Old 04-24-2018, 07:49 PM
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Y'all may want to check out the Star PD, which is a very compact .45 1911ish design.

That said, all these guns are too big for my pockets. I have a J frame in there normally, and I wouldn't mind a shot 44 PL but the CA Bulldog barrel seems a bit long for pocket carry.

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Old 04-24-2018, 07:55 PM
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I bought a Taurus PT-145 because of the size and because the LGS owner gave me 30 days to try it out. I knew the first day I would be keeping it barring any break downs.

It weights 22.2 ounces and is only 1.25" thick. And it holds 10+1 rounds of .45 ammo. I can cover it in the palm of my hand. It's never failed in any way. It shoots insanely accurate. And it fits my hand better than any gun I ever picked up. Plus it recoils better than any .45 I ever shot. I can do double taps that will hit an 8" target at 20 yards. In fact I emptied the entire gun into that target in 10 seconds and that included drawing it from a holster.

I carried that pistol several years. I retired my Sig P220 in favor of it. The Sig was way heavier, bigger and had less capacity plus it didn't recoil well at all IMO.

Then there's this. They have a sort of a recall (they don't call it that) because the guns can fire if dropped even if the safety is on. It dang near broke my heart to hear that. That's the best pocket pistol (yes I've carried it in a pocket) I have ever owned. Mine actually fell out of my IWB holster 2 or 3 times when I sat down. It didn't go off thank goodness. Taurus will buy the guns back but not for what I paid for it of course. I won't be sending it back to be replaced or for money. It's a great pistol IMO. I wish it didn't have that potential problem or I'd still be carrying it sometimes. Instead it is my sleeping area gun. Yes I know not to make it too easy to get to when I sleep. I also mounted a laser on it that makes it perfect for certain jobs.

There are good guns that fit in your pocket and shoot big bore cartridges.
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Old 04-24-2018, 08:04 PM
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My big bore pocket pistol:

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Old 04-24-2018, 08:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dr. mordo View Post
...the CA Bulldog barrel seems a bit long for pocket carry.
Hence the "Boomer" .44 Spl. DAO 2 inch ported barrel no front blade...
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Old 04-24-2018, 09:11 PM
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Might wanna check out the Kahr PM45. I own the PM9 and it's a great little gun. Empty it weighs 17.3 ounces which is pretty light for a .45. Here's a size comparison from Goggle.



Kahr PM45 .45 ACP Big Bore Pocket Pistol
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Old 04-24-2018, 09:18 PM
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I carried an original AMT 45 ACP Backup for a while with ball ammo. With trench sights it was a 10 yard pistol and ran fine with whatever brand ball. Almost exactly the same size as a 2" Model 60.
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Old 04-24-2018, 09:30 PM
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About as big bore pocket as I'm able to handle:

Kahr K40 Covert
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Old 04-24-2018, 10:15 PM
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My big bore pocket gun is a XD-S in 45ACP
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Old 04-25-2018, 12:50 AM
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Both 41 Mags, and I have pocket carried them before. The pockets in a 5.11 tactical pants are large enough to swallow an N frame snubby with zero issue.

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Old 04-25-2018, 01:31 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by richbuff View Post
"Big bore pocket pistols" is a very attention grabbing thread title for me.
No kidding! It got my attention!

This is the only thing I have that qualifies, although I have yet to carry it in a pocket:
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Old 04-25-2018, 02:22 AM
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Quote:
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Hence the "Boomer" .44 Spl. DAO 2 inch ported barrel no front blade...
The problem with that gun is the 2" ported barrel no front blade which I find completely unappealing.
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Old 04-25-2018, 07:29 AM
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Here are my answers to a big bore pocket gun.
A loaded 325 with 6 extra rounds in dbl clips

and a 396 with 5 extra rounds in a stripper
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Old 04-25-2018, 10:28 AM
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If I'm not pocketing my 340 PD.... The M&P Shield 45, a big bore pistol that actually fits in a pocket. 20.5 Oz empty, and holds 6+1 with the standard magazine.
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Old 04-25-2018, 10:53 AM
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Big bore Karh CM 45 ACP & M&P 40 Shield.
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Old 04-25-2018, 11:16 AM
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Big Bore? I love Big Bore

Like SquarePizza above, I usually wear the old 5.11 Covert Khakis. I find many larger and heavier firearms are easy to carry in these pants pockets which are sewn with firearms in mind. I wish they would go back to the older style and offer more colors

So How about 41 Magnum like SquarePizza suggests? These can be had in Titanium, Scandium or the heavier ones in stainless steel, I find it hard to pick a favorite






I will admit that since the Night Guard family of revolvers has come out, I seldom carry the PDR/UDR (Personal Defense Revolver/Ultimate Defense Revolver) any longer. The Night Guards are just so easy to carry with their light weight Scandium frame


These CS10s chambered in 10MM Auto should fit the bill. While they only carry 6+1 rounds with the regular magazine pictured here, all of the 10MM Auto magazines can be used as your reload, So that gives you 6, 7, 8, 11 or 15 round magazines to choose from. OK, the 11 and 15s are probably to valuable as collector's items to use with your carry firearm



Unless you prefer your 10MM family of cartridges in revovlers?


While not "High Capacity" these revolvers in 45 Long Colt will do the job
This cartridge has been a reliable man-stopper for over 150 years.




Who wants to be looking at this?


I also like this 10 shot 357SIG if we are going auto-loaders


It is hard to knock this newcomer in the field of personal defense cartridges.

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Old 04-25-2018, 03:46 PM
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Wilson Combat - BW Carry
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Old 04-27-2018, 10:04 AM
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Charter Arms Bulldog .44 special. Slightly bigger than a J frame and fits J holsters.







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Old 04-27-2018, 10:10 AM
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40 Cal Glock 27

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Old 04-27-2018, 12:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TomkinsSP View Post
For those who really like the simplicity of the DA revolver CA has offerings in .40 S&W and .44 Spl that are harldy bigger than a J frame as well as a .45 acp that's just a smidge bigger than those.

Hint, hint S&W decision makers.
I love my Charter spud-nut. In .44 spcl, this little thing is a formidable package.

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Old 04-28-2018, 01:10 PM
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My CA Bulldog .44 Special, big bore.
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Old 04-28-2018, 01:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by American1776 View Post
I like to pocket carry my J-frame model 649 .357 magnum.

However there are times when I prefer 1) larger bore 2) greater capacity than 5

Here are my two current options that fit the above conditions and that fit inside a jeans pocket with a pocket holster just fine.

Colt Defender .45 and Beretta px4 storm subcompact. The Colt offers 8 rounds of .45, and the Beretta offers 10 rounds of .40 S&W.

Both pistols are ~24 ounces unloaded. They are both roughly the same weight when loaded as the J-frame 649 loaded with 5 158 gr. Magnums.

I still like my full size pistols, but these little pistols are very handy and convenient, while giving up nothing in terms of capacity and cartridge.
Very nice,
I'm very familiar with the 1911 platform (40 yrs) but the grip on the Beretta looks awesome.
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Old 04-28-2018, 01:31 PM
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In my experience, there are no true big bore pocket pistols which can be comfortably carried and concealed that way, not without making folks question whether you're happy to see them at least. 😜
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Old 04-28-2018, 02:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirty Harry Callahan View Post
In my experience, there are no true big bore pocket pistols which can be comfortably carried and concealed that way, not without making folks question whether you're happy to see them at least. 😜
Just because I have a gun in my pocket, doesn't mean I'm not happy to see you!

If your CCW shows, you didn't buy the right clothes! To prove a point, AT CHURCH, I had 3Three 220 Sig 45's and a Commander on at the same time, told people the week before I would, and nobody noticed!

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Old 04-28-2018, 04:42 PM
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Kahr CW-45 is in my pool of the daily carry selection.
The grip is just perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Yes, it is loud and bucks a little when target practicing.
But I remember clearly from past "good shoots" that I hardly even noticed it due to the adrenaline effect.
I also carry an extra magazine!
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Old 04-28-2018, 06:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirty Harry Callahan View Post
In my experience, there are no true big bore pocket pistols which can be comfortably carried and concealed that way, not without making folks question whether you're happy to see them at least. 😜
All of the pistols above (649, Colt Defender 45, Beretta Px4 Subcompact .40) are discrete with the proper pocket holster (like a desantis super fly) and a pair of jeans. One cannot wear skinny jeans; a regular / relaxed fit pair of levis work fine.
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Old 04-28-2018, 08:17 PM
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[SIZE="4"My only big bore pocket gun is a Taurus 445. A 2" stainless steel 44 special. Only 5 shots, but hey, it's a 44 special. This is the only one I've ever ran across, and I couldn't leave it behind. It's a tad larger than a J frame,
Smaller than a K. [/SIZE]
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Old 05-10-2018, 01:12 PM
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I just picked up a Charter Arms Boomer, the 2 inch version of the .44 Special Bulldog. The gun is pretty much ready to go right out of the box for concealed carry, but there are a few things that I want to change before it’s what I would call perfect.

First and foremost, this is an economy grade gun. S&W J frames have a certain elegance to me, even (especially) the newer models with the matte black finish, like my 442. There are numerous tool marks on parts of the Boomer and while the lock-up is solid, the pieces just don’t seem to match up as well as on a S&W; the lack of an ejector rod shroud or lock gives an impression of an incomplete design. The curve of the Boomer’s spurless hammer is not as smooth as the curve of the frame on the internal hammer 442, although the hammer fits precisely in the solid frame. There are many sharp edges on the Boomer’s frame, yet the front and rear edges of the cylinder are nicely beveled. The trigger is serrated, not smooth like the 442, which is one of the changes I would like to make. I bought the black nitride model and the finish is well accomplished; although it is not quite black, more of a dark graphite gray. The grips supplied with the Boomer are hand-filling and do a great job of absorbing recoil, but are too large for concealed/pocket carry; another change that needs to happen.

As this gun is intended for close quarter engagements, there is no front sight, only a machined groove in the topstrap functions as the sights. I test fired three different rounds (PMC 180 grain SJHP, Blazer 200 grain JHP, and WW 240 grain LRN) from seven yards to see where they would hit. I used the same hold for all 12 rounds, centering the red bullseye of the target in the groove in the topstrap. All 12 rounds grouped in the same place, centered on the bullseye but about 6 inches high. A simple bead front sight, like on a shotgun, would do wonders for this gun without detracting from its potential for concealed/pocket carry. I also fired a couple of Speer shot loads to just to see where they would print without attempting to use the sight groove, i.e., pointing shooting; both printed squarely in the center of the target.

The action is not bad, a little rougher than a new 442. I found that I could stage the trigger to just about the point when it drops, then add a bit of pressure to follow through. If the gun had a front sight, it would be easy to keep all of the rounds on target this way.

The ported barrel appears to make a difference on this gun in reducing recoil. I was somewhat dreading shooting the Gold Dot rounds in this pistol as I experienced noticeable recoil when shooting them in my L frame 396. However, there didn’t appear to be much more recoil with the Gold Dots than with the other rounds. I’m sure than when I put more concealable (smaller) grips on the gun, there will be an increase, hopefully it will be marginal.

In all of the reviews I read or watched, it was mentioned that the Bulldog frame would fit in a J frame holster. For me, this is only partially true. I have a new-in-the-bag Mr. Softy from High Noon Holsters that lists on the label that it will fit a Charter Arms Bulldog as well as a J frame and the Boomer will not fit. I also have an older Bianchi 100 holster for a J frame that will not fit the Boomer. However, the gun fit in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster and a Safariland Model 25 pocket holster, both for J frames.

I made a couple of quick measurements and found that the Boomer is closer to the size of a K frame than to a J fame. On the Boomer, the distance from the bottom of the trigger guard to the top strap is roughly 3 1/4 inches; on the J frame it’s 3 inches and on a K frame (15-2 2inch), it’s 3 1/2 inches. The diameter of the Boomer’s cylinder is 1 7/16 inches, the J frame is 1 1/4 inches, and the K frame is the same as the Boomer at 1 7/16 inches. I also checked the length from the end of the barrel to the hump at the top of the back strap; for the Boomer it’s 5 1/2 inches, the J frame is 5 3/8 inches, and the K frame is 5 5/8 inches.

I’ve already ordered a set of smooth compact grips and a BK J frame grip adapter to make the grip more concealable. After searching the ‘net, I haven’t found anyone who offers a replacement trigger, smooth or otherwise, so I guess I’ll have to do that modification myself. Even though it’s not exactly as I want it, I am carrying it in the interior pocket of my vest in the DeSantis holster. It rides well, it’s fairly lightweight, and packs a big punch, about all that I can ask for.
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Old 05-10-2018, 03:47 PM
MAJPATT MAJPATT is offline
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I wouldn't really call these pocket pistols, but they are big bore snubs. First is a Jovino 25-2, followed by a 625, both in .45 ACP.





[img]https://i.imgur.com/FO72l**.jpg[/img]
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Old 05-11-2018, 02:13 PM
typetwelve typetwelve is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by safearm View Post
I just picked up a Charter Arms Boomer, the 2 inch version of the .44 Special Bulldog.... *SNIP*
I'll be honest and say that I kind of think you're missing the point of the Boomer.

I like to look at the design intent of a firearm and figuring that Charter offers the std Bulldog, a more controllable, non ported small 44 spcl with actual sights, I view the boomer as a solid/old fashioned/cheap and highly effective belly gun. Nothing more, nothing less.

It's all business and designed for ultra up close and personal range. Sure, you can get CT grips for it...but if I were to get one, it would be for extreme close range where you need to put lead in a large, very general vicinity.

I think Gunblast's review of it hot the nail on the head:

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Old 05-14-2018, 11:50 AM
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"I'll be honest and say that I kind of think you're missing the point of the Boomer."

I don't think I'm missing the point of the Boomer; I consider it a modern version of the "Fitz Special;" big bore, short barrel, bobbed hammer, easy to conceal. I mention the sights because Fitzgerald did include sights on his modified revolvers, and the addition of a small rounded blade would add a significant advantage without affecting concealment.

Also, I'm not advocating CT grips, as they would not be much more compact than the supplied rubber grips. Again looking at the Fitz Specials, a significant number had ivory, stag, or smooth wood grips, all of which were shaped to the frame, i.e., no oversize "combat" grips and relatively smooth to aid in drawing from a pocket with snagging. I'm waiting for a set of smooth, compact grips that I'll pair with a BK grip adapter. I believe that this combination will offer a distinct improvement in concealability while maintaining an adequate level of control.

Edit: Grips came in last night. Smooth, dark grips paired with grip adapter makes this a very concealable gun in a serious caliber.
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Old 05-14-2018, 12:10 PM
nachogrande nachogrande is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by American1776 View Post
I like to pocket carry my J-frame model 649 .357 magnum.

However there are times when I prefer 1) larger bore 2) greater capacity than 5

Here are my two current options that fit the above conditions and that fit inside a jeans pocket with a pocket holster just fine.

Colt Defender .45 and Beretta px4 storm subcompact. The Colt offers 8 rounds of .45, and the Beretta offers 10 rounds of .40 S&W.

Both pistols are ~24 ounces unloaded. They are both roughly the same weight when loaded as the J-frame 649 loaded with 5 158 gr. Magnums.

I still like my full size pistols, but these little pistols are very handy and convenient, while giving up nothing in terms of capacity and cartridge.
Do you plan on pocket carrying it unloaded? Pocket carry & "BIG BORE" don't exactly spring to mind for me. TEHO and all but say the gun loaded is 30 oz's, (how much do 8-10 rounds of 40 or 45 weigh???) imagine carrying 2 1/2 cans of beer in your pocket, & keeping your pants up. Nice guns indeed MAJPAT, but MUCH more comfortable on a good belt/holster IMO.

Last edited by nachogrande; 05-14-2018 at 12:16 PM.
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